Sahel Sounds: Mdou Moctar (ne)

Mon 08 June 2015 | 20:00 – 01:00 hrs @ DE PLAYER, Rotterdam | Admission: € 10▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬DE PLAYER is joining forces with PANTROPICAL for this Monday evening with unconventionally rocking Tuareg music and film. Pantropical is a Rotterdam based gig/club series focussing on rough edged tropical music, outré rural folklore and global bass. Next to the highly anticipated Mdou Moctar live show, we will show the feature film “Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai” (“Rain the Color Blue with a little Red in it”) starring Mdou Moctar. Both a homage to Purple Rain and The Harder They Come, 'Akounak' is a fictional tale based on the universal hero, the struggle of a musician to overcome a series of conflicts. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬IMPORTANT• Since we have limited capacity, there will only be 80 tickets for sale.• 1) Click 'add to cart', fill out your e-mail at check out, receive confirmation by e-mail. 2) Print proof of payment 3) Show this at the entrance 4) Welcome.

Timetable: 20:00 doors 20.30 screening 'Akounak' 22:00 MDOU MOCTAR – live01:00 curfew ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬■ MDOU MOCTAR (ne)In the somewhat crowded scene of Tuareg guitarists Mdou stands apart from his peers. He is one of the few original artists willing to experiment and push the boundaries, and his unconventional style have won him accolades both in Niger and abroad. Mdou Moctar comes from Abalak, a town in the Azawagh desert of northern Niger. He taught himself guitar at a young age on a homemade instrument. Inspired by Ishumar, Mdou traveled to Libya where he worked odd jobs and managed to meet some of the now famous guitarists. This furthered his musical studies, and he returned home with a actual guitar and a dream. Rising to the status as local celebrity, he traveled to Nigeria in 2008 to record his debut album 'Anar' – a psychedelic electronic album of Tuareg guitar; an instant success throughout the mp3 networks of West Africa. “Tahoultine” – one of the standout tracks, was later featured on the “Music from Saharan Cellphones” compilation. In 2013, Mdou released 'Afelan', his first international album.http://sahelsounds.com/mdou-moctar/

■ AKOUNAK: The feature film of a Tuareg guitarist in AgadezNiger 2015 | 75 min | ne / en subtitles | DVD | Christopher KirkleyStarring guitarist Mdou Moctar, 'Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai' (English: "Rain the Color of Blue with a little Red in it") is a feature length fiction film, shot entirely in Agadez, Niger with a local cast and crew. Akounak tells the universal story of a musician trying to make it "against all odds," set against the backdrop of the raucous subculture of Tuareg guitar. The protagonist, Mdou Moctar, must battle fierce competition from jealous musicians, overcome family conflicts, and endure the trials of love - all while coming to terms with one of the biggest barriers: himself.

The Tuaregs (or Kel Tamashek) are an ethnic and language group of traditionally nomadic people in the Sahara desert. Tuareg guitar music ("ishumar guitar") or so-called "desert blues" (popularized in the West through groups like Tinariwen and Bombino) began over thirty years ago as a folk expression of political rebellion. Today the style has become the de facto music of the desert. While the subject has been explored in documentary features, these are almost always aimed at Western audiences and betray a sensationalist tilt, focusing on the origins of the "rebel music" and not the contemporary subculture (a narrative reinvigorated by the ongoing crisis in the North of Mali).

Akounak is not a documentary, but a stylized fictional tale with a compelling, relevant story developed by Tuareg youth, written and produced for a Tuareg audience. Stylistically based on the model of Western rock-u-drama, the story has been written from the common experiences faced by Mdou and fellow musicians. Most importantly, Akounak is first fiction film ever shot in the Tuareg language.